"Sister Xia, I've heard that you became the top scorer in our province's college entrance examination. We haven't congratulated you yet," Qin Chu'an and his sister said, their eyes filled with admiration as they looked at Xia Qingqing.
Xia Qingqing chuckled: "It's nothing much. It mainly depends on my usual efforts. I study at home every day."
Her achievements today are not due to her being much smarter than others, but rather to her foresight combined with her own hard work; both are indispensable.
"Anyway, Sister Xia is the best, and I want to learn from her," Qin Chuxin said admiringly, having already silently regarded Xia Qingqing as her idol.
The prevailing preference for sons over daughters in this era meant that many girls assumed their status was inferior to that of boys. Although Qin Chuxin was protected by her father and brother from a young age, she was still deeply affected by this.
After my uncle's family moved in, did my aunt say that she shouldn't continue going to school? She said that it was useless for girls to study, and that doing housework for a few years and getting married early was the only right thing to do.
She strongly disagreed with this view and couldn't understand why her aunt, as a woman herself, would look down on other women.
Their mindsets are so deeply ingrained that they cannot be changed.
Qin Chuxin wanted to study hard and go to university to see a more exciting world. Regardless of whether she could change other people's minds, she herself did not want to be bound by her female identity. A girl's life is definitely not just about doing housework and having children.
......
Xia Qingqing placed the five watches she had prepared earlier on the table: "Xiao An, these are watches my friend got. Do you want to try selling them?"
Qin Chu'an's expression changed drastically when she saw the watches on the table, her mouth agape in surprise: "So many watches? Sister Xia's friend is amazing."
“I can sell them. I’m quite familiar with the people in the residential compound now, so selling a few watches won’t be a problem.”
Qin Chuan quickly expressed his support. Over the past year, he had become familiar with several residential compounds in the county by helping Xia Qingqing sell her goods, and he had some connections.
Xia Qingqing asked Qin Chuan to sell watches, partly because she genuinely needed someone to help her sell them, and partly to take care of the two siblings so they could earn some extra money.
Qin Chuan is 15 years old this year. He has been eating and drinking well this year, and his height has increased dramatically. He is no longer the skinny little boy he used to be. He is even taller than Xia Qingqing. However, she does not dare to give him too many goods at once, for fear of being targeted by someone with ulterior motives.
“Okay, I’ll price each watch at 115. You can make a profit from whatever you sell them for, and that’s your commission.”
This price is 10 yuan higher than Xiao Hui's, because Xiao Hui sells wholesale and settles payment on the spot, while Qin Chu'an is selling on her behalf and needs to cover her own costs. Therefore, the prices of the two are definitely not the same.
This price was already very satisfactory for Qin Chu'an. He could earn at least 10 to 15 yuan per watch, and he could earn several tens of yuan by selling these 5 watches.
"Sister Xia, thank you," Qin Chu'an's beautiful eyes were filled with gratitude. He knew that Xia Qingqing had specially entrusted him with selling these watches because she was looking out for him.
Xia Qingqing smiled and said, "No need to be so polite. You've saved me a lot of trouble by running errands for me, so it's only right that I pay you for your service."
Qin Chu'an stubbornly shook her head: "It's different. You can find someone else to help you sell things at any time, but you keep choosing me. I know you're taking special care of me."
He is not an ungrateful person; he will always remember Xia Qingqing's kindness to him and his sister.
Xia Qingqing did not refute it. She did intend to take special care of Qin Chu'an, but Qin Chu'an, this 'errand boy,' was indeed very much to her liking.
She never plays tricks on you; she's a very comfortable person to work with.
Including Xiao Hui's side, Qin Chu'an sold a total of 25 watches today, leaving her with 75 watches.
But she doesn't plan to sell it all at once; better safe than sorry, she'll take it slow.
——
After leaving the Qin family, Xia Qingqing went to the textile factory to find Song Ze.
A few days ago, Liang Shuang went straight home after receiving her admission notice. Xia Qingqing wanted Song Ze to return to Beijing first, and this was a special occasion she came to talk to him about it.
When Song Ze saw Xia Qingqing waiting for him in the guardhouse, he couldn't hide his smile. Xia Qingqing could almost see an invisible tail swaying behind him.
"Qingqing, did you come here specifically to see me?"
Xia Qingqing hesitated for a second before nodding in agreement, admitting that she had specifically sought him out.
She pulled Song Ze to a deserted alleyway before speaking, "Ze, you've received your acceptance letter, right? There's still some time before school starts, do you want to go back to Beijing first?"
Song Ze immediately shook his head: "No, I want to wait for you to go to Beijing together. I can take care of you on the way and help you with your luggage."
He was worried about Xia Qingqing, a young girl, traveling alone by train to Beijing.
Xia Qingqing was speechless. There was no need to be so considerate; she could easily carry all the luggage herself.
The main reason is that she also plans to take her parents to Beijing for a trip.
With nearly a month left before school starts, Song Ze couldn't see her every day if he stayed here, so it wasn't worth staying an extra month just to wait for her to go to Beijing.
Xia Qingqing could only continue to persuade her.
Song Ze looked at her with a hint of grievance: "Okay then, really, you don't need me to wait for you to go to Beijing together?"
Xia Qingqing couldn't stand Song Ze staring at her face and acting cute. She took his hand and shook it twice: "I know you mean well, but you really don't need to wait for me."
"Instead of waiting for me here, why don't you go to the capital first and buy me some daily necessities? That way, I won't have to bring so much luggage from home all the way here."
"Also, I might take my parents and Gou Dan to Beijing for a trip. As the host, you should treat them well. Go back and make preparations as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, Song Ze's aggrieved expression immediately disappeared. What he said made a lot of sense. He was also relieved to hear that Xia Qingqing would be going to Beijing with her parents.
"Okay, then you don't need to bring your luggage. I'll prepare everything you need for you."
Xia Qingqing nodded in agreement. It didn't matter where she bought the things; there was no need to travel so far carrying heavy bags.
Song Ze secretly began to plan where he would take Xia Qingqing and the others to play. It would be Xia Qingqing and Aunt Zhang's first time visiting Beijing, and he wanted to make them feel at home.
Suddenly, Xia Qingqing remembered her plan to buy a house in Beijing. Song Ze, a native of Beijing, was a perfect helper.
So she told Song Ze that she wanted to buy a house in Beijing and asked him to help her look at a few more.
Upon hearing this, Song Ze didn't even ask Xia Qingqing if she had enough money, and immediately agreed: "Leave it to me, I'll definitely find you the most satisfactory house."
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